Transport apparatus for unit dose containers of pharmaceutical materials

ABSTRACT

A transport apparatus for delivering and dispensing unit dose containers of pharmaceutical materials and the like which is characterized by a tray means having plural rows of recesses adapted to removably receive individual pharmaceutical containers. The tray means further includes slot means adapted to receive a plurality of unique container retaining means. Each retainer means include a resilient flange which releasably engages a container within the recess of the tray to insure the positive retention of the containers in the recesses during any form of transit of the tray means.

United States Patent 1 [191 Relyea et al.

[ Dec.3,1974

[ TRANSPORT APPARATUS FOR UNIT DOSE CONTAINERS OF PHARMACEUTICALMATERIALS [75] Inventors: Kenneth D. Relyea, Grove City,

Ohio; John A. Santangelo, Metuchen, NJ.

[73] Assignee: Drustar Unit Dose Systems, Inc.,

Grove City, Ohio 221 Filed: Aug. 13, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 387,905

[52] US. Cl. 312/234.5, 312/209 [51] Int. Cl A47b 67/00 [58] Field ofSearch 312/198, 209, 234-2345;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Perkins 24/675 2,583,5671/1952 Hanson 24/67.3 3,512,858 5/1970 Re1yea.... 312/198 3,638,2822/1972 Larsson 24/673 Primary ExaminerCasmir A. Nunberg Attorney, Agent,or Firm-Cennamo; Kremblas; Foster 5 7 ABSTRACT A transport apparatus fordelivering and dispensing unit dose containers of pharmaceuticalmaterials and the like which is characterized by a tray means havingplural rows of recesses adapted to removably receive individualpharmaceutical containers. The tray means further includes slot meansadapted to receive a plurality of unique container retaining means. Eachretainer means include a resilient flange which releasably engages acontainer within the recess of the tray to insure the positive retentionof the containers in the recesses during any form of transit of the traymeans.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures TRANSPORT APPARATUS FOR UNIT DOSE CONTAINERSOF PHARMACEUTICAL MATERIALS BACKGROUND Prior to the introduction of theunit-dose concept of serving nursing homes and similar institutions,these institutions obtained prescriptions from a pharmacy in much thesame manner as the individual who seeks filling of an occassionalprescription. However, the large number of patients in a nursing homeand the normal frequency of receiving medication required by suchpatients created problems unique to both the pharmacist and to thepersonnel of the institutions.

For example, the nurses must keep separate facilities for each patientto store the various types of pharmaceutical materials that each patientmay be receiving. Then, according to each prescription, the nurse mustremove an individual dose for distribution to each patient at eachprescribed time during each day. This may occur three or four times aday for some prescriptions. A typical institution of this type, having50 to 100 patients, makes such a procedure a very time consuming task.

As each prescription order runs out or a new one is obtained, thepharmacist would receive a relatively large volume of orders which weredifficult to fill in the time required to supply the patients needs.

With the aid of delivery apparatus such as described in US. Pat. No.3,512,858 and in my co-pending application Ser. No. 302,257 filed Oct.30, 1972, a convenient and very reliable unit dose delivery system hasbeen greatly enhanced. The present invention relates to transportapparatus for use in conjunction with the above mentioned deliveryapparatus which provides a substantial advance in the reliability of thesystem. Enhancement of reliability is particularly important in such anapplication wherein most of the materials concerned require a doctor'sprescription. Further, this reliability of proper delivery of importantmedicine to the patient which relates directly to his proper care andhealth is advanced in a manner which adds no substantial increase in thecost of the mode of delivery.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION In general, the transport apparatus of the presentinvention relates to an improved delivery tray construction whichincludes positive container retaining means for each of the unit dosecontainers deposited in the container-receiving recesses formed in thetray means.

This particular type of tray means is referred to as a distribution trayin that it is the tray which continually passes between the pharmacistand the nursing home and is used by the nursing personnel to directlydistribute the unit dose to the patient. A plurality of distributiontrays are removable mounted on the tracks in the ranged in the tray in apredetermined order preferablyrelating to the order of the arrangementof the patients who are to receive the particular dosage-unit. Eachdistribution tray includes a slot means between each row of recessesadapted to receive means for the identification of the patients beingserved.

The present invention specifically relates to an improved and uniqueconstruction wherein the means for identifying the appropriate recesswith a patient, as well as the specific medication to be delivered, isalso designed to ensure positive retention of the unit dose container inthe recess. This serves to guard against inadvertent spilling or otheraccidental disturbance of the unit dose containers during any form oftransit.

The design of the container retaining means is such that removal of thecontainers from the tray or placement thereof into the recess is notunduly encumbered to interfere with the convenience of handling thecontainers.

OBJECTS It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide anapparatus of the type described which facilitates the general handlingof volume prescription orders of pharmaceutical materials in a reliable,yet convenient manner.

It is another object of the present invention to provide apparatus ofthe type described which facilitates the specific distribution ofindividual dosage units to individual patients by the nursing personnelresponsible for the ultimate dispensing of the medication.

It is another object of the present invention to provide apparatus ofthe type described which improves the reliability of the proper deliveryof medication to the patient and further reduces the potential of costlyand time consuming confusion caused by inadvertent spilling ofcontainers from their proper position in the trays during transit to theinstitution as well as during specific distribution to the patients.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide apparatus ofthe type described which accomplishes the positive retention of thecontainers in the recesses in a simple and relatively inexpensive mannerwithout significantly effecting the convenience of dispensing eachcontainer from the tray means.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. '1 is a perspective view of transport apparatus forthe delivery and dispensing of unit dose pharmaceutical materialsconstructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, in section, of the apparatus shown inFIG. 1, the section being taken through the centerline of a row ofrecesses in the apparatus shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the container retaining means forming aportion of the apparatus shown in the preceding Figures, the retainingmeans being illustrated in a removed condition apart from the tray.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring in detail to the drawings, containerapparatus for delivering and dispensing individual dosage units ofpharmaceuticals constructed in accordance with the present invention isillustrated in FIG. 1 and includes a supporting tray means, indicatedgenerally at 20.

Tray means 20 is preferably made of a molded plastic material andincludes a plurality of container-receiving recesses 22 arranged inparallel rows. Each recess 22 is adapted to receive an individual unitdose container 24. Suitable containers 24 are preferably constructed asdescribed in detail in my co-pending application Ser. No. 239,278 filedMar. 29, 1972, or as in my US. Pat. No. 3,512,858.

Tray means also includes a plurality of longitudinally extendingrecesses each of which includes a slot means 26 disposed in adjacent butspaced relationship to each row of recesses 22.

Individual container retaining means 28 are provided for each recess 22to assure positive retention of each container 24 in the properrespective recess. Preferably, retaining means 28 also are adapted tocarry patient identity data to aid the pharmacist in properlypositioning each unit dose container 24 in tray 20. Also this aids thenursing personnel in the subsequent dispensing of pharmaceuticals to thepatient.

Retaining means 28 comprises a relatively thin, resilient sheetmaterial, preferably a plastic, which is folded to provide two permanentedges 32 and 34, as best seen in FIG. 3.

These edges define the border of a first flange portion which preferablyincludes two legs portions 36 and 38 and a second flange portion 40which extends from leg portion 36 at an angle of substantially less than90. The first flange portion is adapted to be received in slot means 26with edge 32 of the slot means extending downwardly in the slot means.In view of the resilient nature of the material comprising retainingmeans 28, the two leg portions 36 and 38 tend to spring away from oneanother to add a degree of force which tends to hold the first flangeportion in slot means 26.

Second flange portion 40, to a much greater degree, is resilientlybiased downwardly as viewed in FIG. 2, and is designed to cover asignificant portion of an adjacent container receiving opening 22. Sucha configuration offers positive retention of a container 24 withintherecess 22. To remove a container from a recess 22, one must liftflange 40 sufficiently to overcome the light, but significant springforce of flange 40.

Flange 40 is preferably large enough in area to carry a label whichincludes all the necessary data to appropriately identify a patient andmay include the patient name, the prescribing physicians name, the kindand dosage of medication.

To provide maximum efficiency and accuracy of dispensing the medicine,the unit dose containers preferably are placed in a respective recess 22in an arrangement coordinated with the specific floor and room plan ofan institution. Several trays 22 are generally intended to apply to agiven nursing station of the institution and are removably mounted incabinet type apparatus such as described in the above mentioned US. Pat.and patent applications. Although it depends upon the particularsituation, usually one cabinet apparatus would hold a daily supply oftrays for a nursing station having a responsibility for 20 to 30patients.

Therefore a pluralityof trays 20are usually being transferred daily toand from the institution and pharmacy in such cabinets and each tray 20generally is being removed and hand carried by the nursing personnelduring the direct dispensing of the medication to the patient. I

The pharmacist originally prepared the tray by inserting appropriatelyidentified retaining means 28 in position in accordance with a list ofpatients and their location in the institution. Then the appropriatepre-pared unit dose container 24 is placed in the proper recess 22.

When a tray is filled according to the medical prescription, thepharmacist places the tray in the cabinet apparatus describedpreviously, which is then delivered to the institution.

At the institution, the cabinet apparatus may be con veniently moved toeach floor of the institution where the appropriate tray is removed bythe nursing personnel. The identity of the patient and the medicationprescribed is checked against the label information carried on retainingmeans 28 and rechecked against the list possessed by the nursingpersonnel. if a descrepancy should exist, this can be immediatelychecked further before the medication is delivered to the patient.

Therefore it can be readily appreciated that such a delivery systempossesses means to provide a high degree of reliability. Further, it canbe readily seen that the possibility of an inadvertent disburbanceduring transit of the containers 24 from the recesses in which they wereplaced by the pharmacist is greatly reduced.

In the past, should a cabinet apparatus be upset or tilted to a degreesufficient to displace several containers 24 from the recess 22, a verytime consuming effort was required not only to replace the containersbut also to assure the proper placement in the correctly identifiedrecess. Another source for potential accident is the inadvertent tiltingof an individual tray 20 during direct delivery of the unit dosecontainers to the patient. In view of human nature, such occurances eventhough rare, constitute a possible source of error in dispensing thecorrect medication to a given patient if the nursing personnel isnegligent in the replacement of the containers.

in view of the serious results that might follow from such an occurance,any reasonable precaution which tends to significantly lessen thepossibility of such an error, is of significant importance.

Evidence that the tray means 20 provided with retaining means 28 iseffective to prevent accidental spilling of the containers isdemonstrated by the fact that the tray may be turned completely upsidedown without displacing containers 24 from their respective recesses 22.Therefore most any type of inadvertent spilling of the containers fromthe recess 22 during transit is substantially eliminated.

However, it should also be pointed out that containers 24 are still veryeasily removed manually from the recesses 22 by simply applying pressureto raise flange 40. Therefore, neither the convenience of the pharmacistin the preparation of the tray nor the convenience of removingindividual unit dose containers is significantly reduced by theconstruction of the present invention, but the potential of accidentaldisplacement of containers is, for all practical purposes, virtuallyeliminated.

What is claimed is 1. An improved transport apparatus for the deliveryand dispensing of unit dose pharmaceutical materials comprising, incombination, a tray means provided with a plurality of recesses spacedfrom another, each of said recesses being adapted to removably receivean individual pharmaceutical container, said tray means including meansdefining a slot disposed adjacent to each of said recesses; theimprovement comprising container retaining means comprising anintegrally formed flexible sheet of plastic material removably disposedin said slot means and including a resilient flange Lil 3. The apparatusdefined in claim 2 wherein said first flange portion includes a pair ofleg portions joined to one another at one end to define a common edge,said edge being disposed downwardly in said slot means and said legportions being resiliently biased away from one another into engagementwith side walls defining said slot means. i

4. The apparatus defined in claim 3 wherein said leg portions of saidfirst flange portion form a V-shaped slot having a upwardly facingopening.

1. An improved transport apparatus for the delivery and dispensing ofunit dose pharmaceutical materials comprising, in combination, a traymeans provided with a plurality of recesses spaced from another, each ofsaid recesses being adapted to removably receive an individualpharmaceutical container, said tray means including means defining aslot disposed adjacent to each of said recesses; the improvementcomprising container retaining means comprising an integrally formedflexible sheet of plastic material removably disposed in said slot meansand including a resilient flange portion extending over an adjacentcontainer receiving recess in resilient force transmitting engagementwith an individual container disposed in said recess, said flangeportion including patient and pharmaceutical identifying indicia.
 2. Theapparatus defined in claim 1 wherein said container retaining meansincludes an integrally formed flexible sheet of plastic material a firstflange portion removably disposed in said slot means and a second flangeportion which engages said container and extends away from said firstflange portion at an angle of less than 90*.
 3. The apparatus defined inclaim 2 wherein said first flange portion includes a pair of legportions joined to one another at one end to define a common edge, saidedge being disposed downwardly in said slot means and said leg portionsbeing resiliently biased away from one another into engagement with sidewalls defining said slot means.
 4. The apparatus defined in claim 3wherein said leg portions of said first flange portion form a V-shapedslot having a upwardly facing opening.